Featuring new paintings fresh from the easel, exhibition news and other stuff from Peter Barker RSMA

Tuesday, 24 May 2011

Waterproof Whizzers

Pastel on Pastelmat, 16.5 x 19 inches

Ducklings are like little clockwork toys, never still, whizzing about over the water, occasionally dipping in and bobbing up like corks with globules of water glistening on their downy feathers. This is what I've attempted to capture in this painting, with the surface disturbed into marbled patterns and sparkling stars of sunlight.

How do I decide what medium to use, I hear you ask ? Well, this one yelled out "Pastel" to me - I find the ripples and mauvey sky reflections are a lot easier to depict in the dry medium than Oil - don't get me wrong, still incredibly difficult........and only I am capable of pulling it off....ahem.